It’s not your imagination. There really is a tighter squeeze on many planes these days.

The big U.S. airlines are taking out old, bulky seats in favor of so-called slimline models that
take up less space from front to back, allowing for five or six more seats on each plane.

The changes, covering some of the most common planes flown on domestic and international routes,
give the airlines two of their favorite things: more paying passengers, and a smaller fuel bill
because the seats are slightly lighter.

It’s part of a trend among the airlines to view seats as money-makers, not just pieces of
furniture. Add a few inches of legroom and airlines can charge more for tickets. Take away a few
inches and they can fit more seats on the plane.

Some passengers seem to mind the tighter squeeze more than others. The new seats generally have
thinner padding. And new layouts on some planes have made the aisles slightly narrower, meaning the
dreaded beverage cart bump to the shoulder happens more often.

New seats going into United Airlines’ Airbus A320s are an inch closer together from front to
back. The new seats Southwest has put on almost its entire fleet are 31 inches apart — about an
inch less than before. Both airlines say the new seats are just as comfortable.

United says the new seats make each A320 1,200 pounds lighter. Southwest says the weight savings
is cutting about $10 million a year in fuel spending.

But 6-foot-3 Mike Lindsey of Lake Elsinore, Calif., doesn’t have another inch to give back to
the airlines. He has flown on Southwest several times since it installed the new seats.

“You can’t stretch out because of the reduced legroom,” he said. “It’s very uncomfortable on
anything longer than an hour.”

International passengers are feeling crowded, too.

As recently as 2010, most airlines buying Boeing’s big 777 opted for nine seats across. Now it’s
10 across on 70 percent of newly built 777s, Boeing says. American’s newest 777s are set up 10
across in coach, with slightly narrower seats than on its older 777s.

“We used to recommend the aisle seats, because you could stretch out more,” said Mark Koschwitz
of Seat Expert.com. He tells passengers who want to sleep “to bring a jacket and prop up against
the window.”